AMBER COCHRANE GUIDO
OWNER/DIRECTOR
Amber is the Owner and Director of AC Dance Academy. The 2026-27 season will mark the 20th year of ACDA! Owning a dance studio was something she always dreamed about and she couldn't be more proud to have such a successful studio with an amazing staff and wonderful dance families! Amber's goal has always been to create a positive, fun, loving and creative environment in which the students can express themselves and develop a passion for dance while learning great technique. Being welcoming and excepting of new families into ACDA's dance family is so important and drives Amber's vision of what a dance studio needs to be.
Amber and the studio staff have enjoyed 19 years of success and strive to get better each year. While Amber's background includes competing and that is offered at ACDA, it is very important to her that the recreational dancers feel as though they are just as important. Amber makes sure her staff takes time to make each and every child feel special during their dance experience. The recreational program continues to grow and provide an encouraging space for children to learn to dance as a fun activity. The competitive program is thriving with our students gaining personal growth each year individually and also working together to grow and compete at a high level as a team. Both programs help develop our young children into self-confident, poised, disciplined, goal oriented and creative young people. The goal is not only to learn dance but to help raise our communities children to be better individuals as well.
While dance is her passion, Amber is most proud to be a wife to her husband Vince, and mother to her 3 children, Mason, Gio, and Ilaria.
Our staff is passionate, trained and ready to help our students and parents navigate the world of dance! All of our teachers teach beacause they cannot imagine life without dance and hope to instill that same passion in each and every student!
ANDIE VERONE
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Andie has been an instructor at AC Dance Academy for 19 years. She was trained by the Artistic Director & Owner Amber Cochrane. Andie started as an assistant teacher during her high school career. She then became an independent teacher for AC Dance Academy at the young age of 18. Andie is experienced in teaching Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, and Hip Hop. Andie also has a background in Musical theater, which she uses to bring our students dancing to life. Andie is focused on bringing up to date knowledge and experience to our ACDA students. Andie is one of our choreographers for our Competitive Team. She has won multiple choreography and technique awards for her amazing work. She is very involved with both our recreational and competitive dancers. Above all, Andie is passionate about making sure our students have a fun and positive experience.
Andie is enjoying new parenthood with her partner Jordan and their baby girl, Aletta.
RACHEAL CATTIVERA
BALLET INSTRUCTOR
Racheal has been a ballet instructor for AC Dance Academy for the past 14 years. Racheal’s dance training began at an early age. She started at Doris Singer’s Dance Studio, where she studied ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz.
Over the past years, she studied from notable Ballet Masters such as, Dennis Nahat and Gladisa Guadalupe at The Cleveland Ballet, Roberto Munoz at Point Park College, Kenneth Nickel at LaRoche College, Mikhail Korogodsky at Philadelphia Dance Conservatory, and Patricia Wilde at The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. She studied ballet, pointe, pas de deux, jazz, modern, and hip-hop dance.
She has performed in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote. Also, she has performed various ballet variations in dance showcases. She was a trainee dancer for The Cleveland Ballet.
Racheal and her husband Bryan have 3 children. She enjoys reading and volunteering for her children’s school and community events.
ARIA WELSH
INSTRUCTOR
Aria has been an instructor at AC Dance Academy for the past 6 years. Aria has taught many styles, including Hip-hop, Tap, and Contemporary. Aria was trained through ACDA and its staff from its opening year and was an assistant during her high school years. After graduating, she became a part of our staff and she’s never been more thankful that she has the chance to be an inspiration for the children of our studio as many of her instructors were for her.
Aria’s continued training stems from her attendance at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, where she studied many different styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, hiphop, and modern. With her major in Musical Theatre, she also had the opportunity to hone her character building and storytelling skills. While achieving her Elementary Education degree at Grove City College, Aria had the pleasure of participating in their dance company, Orchesis. Orchesis was a wonderful creative outlet where Aria could master the art of choreographing and teaching while simultaneously being a part of pieces by other collegiate choreographers. She trained and choreographed under a multitude of styles working with intimate group sizes and large production numbers. Each of those play a great role in her instruction style, continuously growing and improving her techniques to best serve her students.
If you don’t find Aria at the studio, she is hanging out with her husband Lucas and their new baby girl, Margot.
MAEVE DOLAN
INSTRUCTOR
Maeve has been a dance instructor at AC Dance Academy for the past 5 years. She was a former dancer on their competition team for 13 years. Maeve teaches the styles Jazz, Contemporary, and Lyrical. She taught as an assistant teacher for recreational classes throughout high school and joined the ACDA staff post graduation. She is beyond grateful for the opportunity to create art and share her continued love and passion for dance with her students.
Maeve’s training includes dancing and competing at AC Dance Academy and attending Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School as a Dance major where she studied the styles of jazz, modern, tap, ballet, musical theatre, and street styles. ACDA served as the foundation of her training and planted a strong love of dance in her. At Lincoln Park, she participated in several musicals and dancing shows and had the opportunity to choreograph for a few of them. She took a Dance Composition class, which provided her in-depth knowledge on the art of choreography. Overall, her experience at Lincoln Park focused on professionalism, performance, technique, and contrasting dance styles. She uses all of her experiences and knowledge from her former teachers to provide the best instructive training for her students. After high school, Maeve attended Penn State Beaver to earn her Bachelor’s of Science Business Administration degree.
Maeve loves to dance in her free time and also works at the Beaver County YMCA and is a part-time nanny. She can’t wait to see what the future holds for her with ACDA!
ROBYN NAUGLE
INSTRUCTOR
Robyn Naugle is a graduate of Point Park University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dance. She performed professionally at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA and Tampa, FL, and has also appeared with Lakeview Theater in West Virginia and Commonwealth Musical Stage in Virginia.
Robyn owned and directed her own competitive dance studio for 24 years. She has served on faculty at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School, sharing her passion for dance with the next generation of performers.
Her choreography credits include work for Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Lakeview musicals, and numerous high school musical productions. She currently teaches at Point Park University’s International Summer Dance Camp and Seneca Valley High schools dance department. She continues to inspire students at several studios throughout Pa.
SOPHIA WITHROW
INSTRUCTOR
Sophia has been a part of the AC Dance Academy family for over 19 years. After spending 14 years as a dancer at the studio, she is excited to begin her second year as an instructor. Sophia trained under the ACDA staff since the studio’s first year and was an assistant teacher during her high school years. She is grateful for the opportunity to share the same love and passion for dance that her instructors instilled in her.
Sophia attended Penn State University, and continued her love of dance by participating in a collegiate dance organization, Penn State Lyrical Line (PLL). During her time with PLL, she served as Vice President and THON Chair, gaining valuable experience in leadership, teamwork, choreography, and performance. After graduating from Penn State with her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Sophia began her career as a surgical/trauma nurse at Allegheny General Hospital. She brings the same dedication, discipline, and compassion from nursing into her teaching, creating a positive and encouraging environment where her students can grow both as dancers and as individuals.
ACDA has played such an important role in Sophia’s life, and she is beyond grateful to now have the opportunity to give back to the studio that helped shape her into the person she is today. She hopes to inspire her students to work hard, have fun, be confident, and most importantly, love dance as much as she does!